Keno Way Tickets
Groups, kings, ways, and conditioning explained in plain language, with a calculator that does the bookkeeping instantly.
The way calculator
Build your ticket below. Add groups, turn spot sizes on or off to condition the ticket, and set your price per way. The calculator counts every way, shows the classic ways over spots notation, and totals the cost. The most common setups are also on our printable way ticket chart, already counted and priced.
Your groups
A group is a set of numbers circled together on the ticket. A king is a group of one.
Numbers on ticket
9
Groups
3
Ways available
7
Ways played
7
Ways by spot size
Toggle the spot sizes you want to play. Each way is its own bet.
Ticket cost
7.00
Written the classic way, this ticket is 3/3, 3/6, 1/9 (ways over spots).
How ways are counted
1. Circle groups
Suppose you pick nine numbers and circle them into three groups of three. The groups, not the individual numbers, are the building blocks of the ticket.
2. Combine them
Every combination of groups is a possible way. One group alone is a 3-spot. Two groups together form a 6-spot, and there are three such pairs. All three groups together form one 9-spot.
3. Pay per way
Each way you play is a full bet with its own paytable line. Play all seven ways at a dollar and the ticket costs seven dollars. Some venues allow fractional rates on tickets with many ways.
Kings multiply ways fast
A king is a one-number group. Because a king can join every other combination, adding one to a ticket roughly doubles its ways. Two kings over a group of four, written 1-1-4, already contains seven ways, two 1-spots, one 2-spot, one 4-spot, two 5-spots, and one 6-spot. Try it in the calculator above and watch the counts move as you add a second king.
What way tickets change, and what they never change
A way ticket changes bookkeeping, not probability. Every 6-spot way inside a 3-3-3 ticket has exactly the same chance as a straight 6-spot ticket, and you can verify that yourself with our odds calculator or by running both shapes through the free simulator. What way tickets really offer is coverage. When a hot draw lands inside your nine numbers, several overlapping ways can pay at once, and when a cold draw misses, several ways lose at once. The swings get bigger while the long-run math stays put, which is the same story told on our house edge page.
Frequently asked questions
What is a way ticket in keno?
A way ticket is one physical ticket that holds several bets at once. You circle your numbers into groups, and every combination of groups that adds up to a playable spot size is a separate bet called a way. Three groups of three, for example, contains three 3-spot ways, three 6-spot ways, and one 9-spot way.
What is a king number?
A king is a group containing exactly one number. Kings are popular because a single king combines with every other group, which multiplies the number of ways on the ticket quickly.
What does 6/3 mean on a keno ticket?
It reads as ways over spots. 6/3 means the ticket is playing six different 3-spot ways. A ticket marked 6/3, 3/6 plays six 3-spot ways and three 6-spot ways at the same time.
Do way tickets have better odds than straight tickets?
No. Each way inside the ticket has exactly the same odds as the same bet played on its own ticket. A way ticket is a packaging convenience that lets one ticket carry many bets, and its cost rises with every way played.
What does conditioning mean?
Conditioning is choosing which spot sizes on a way ticket you actually pay for. A 3-3-3 ticket contains 3-spot, 6-spot, and 9-spot ways, and you might condition it to play only the 6-spots. The calculator on this page does the counting for you.